Suspect In USC Halloween Shooting Back In Court
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An Inglewood man who allegedly shot four people during a Halloween party on the University of Southern California campus was back in court Monday.
KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports Brandon Spencer is accused of opening fire outside a party sponsored by the Black Student Assembly on Oct. 31.
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Spencer, 20, faces four counts for the shootings that left four wounded outside the Tutor Campus Center located not too far from the school's iconic Tommy Trojan statue.
Attorney James Simmons said the charges against his client are in sharp contrast to Spencer's reputation.
"He is not some ne'er-do-well who runs around doing evil things or terrible things or violent things," Simmons said. "He does not have a history of it."
Spencer is a security guard with an active license, according to the Los Angeles Times.
He has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court on Jan. 31.
As a result of the shooting - which came just under six months after two USC graduate students from China were fatally shot in a botched robbery blocks from the South Los Angeles campus - USC will require all visitors to register before granting entry to the campus between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
The policy announced back on Dec. 21 (PDF) took effect on Monday with the start of the Spring 2013 semester.
